1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an image pickup apparatus and an on-vehicle image pickup apparatus utilized for on-vehicle cameras, digital cameras, digital camcorders, and the like, and a method and an apparatus for manufacturing such image pickup apparatuses.
2. Description of the Related Art
A related art image pickup apparatus having an image pickup lens and an image pickup element such as a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) and a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) Device is widely used in on-vehicle cameras, digital cameras, digital camcorders, and the like.
Such image pickup apparatuses are generally manufactured by a manufacturing apparatus having a fixed unit and a movable unit. In such a manufacturing apparatus, one of a member supporting the lens (lens supporting member) and a member supporting the image pickup element (image pickup element supporting member) is fixed on the fixed unit and the other of the two members is fixed on the movable unit. With this configuration, an optimal position for fixing the two members in order to pickup an image can be determined by moving the movable unit, and then the lens supporting member and the image pickup element supporting member are fixed at the optimal position with an adhesive agent (hereinafter such finding the optimal position for fixing is called a “locating” process).
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-80667 discloses a technology for manufacturing an image pickup element assembly and an image pickup element assembly used for assembling parts related to such “locating” technology. In this disclosed technology, a fixing member to which an image pick up element is bonded (i.e., the fixing member is indirectly fixed to a lens) includes a clamp unit, via which the fixing member is fixed to a fixture. The clamp unit can be detached from the fixing member. Moreover, in this technology, an suction suctions the image pickup element and transfers it to a predetermined process position of the fixing member.
However, in this technology, a relative positional relationship between the suction and the image pickup element may not be accurately determined. Accordingly, when the manufacturing apparatus supports the lens supporting member and the image pickup element supporting member for locating, an actual relative positional relationship between the lens and the image pickup element may largely deviate from an appropriate relative positional relationship between them. As a result, more time may be required for locating them, resulting in lower productivity.
Further, since recent image pickup elements and substrates supporting them are increasingly reduced in sizes, the image pickup element supporting member such as a substrate may not include a sufficiently large area for suctioning the image pickup element.